Kawhi Leonard's ACL 'Intact'; Star Will Return to Clippers from Knee Injury in '23-24
The Los Angeles Clippers are expecting star Kawhi Leonard to be ready for the 2023-24 NBA season.
President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank told reporters Thursday that Leonard's right ACL is "fully intact."
Injuries have become an unfortunate reality for Leonard. He suffered a torn ACL during the 2021 playoffs and missed the entire 2021-22 campaign as he recovered. He appeared in 52 games during the 2022-23 regular season but again had a setback in the playoffs.
The 31-year-old played the first two games of the Clippers' opening-round series against the Phoenix Suns but was sidelined for the final three with a torn meniscus.
Los Angeles split the first two games and stole home-court advantage from the Suns when Leonard was on the court. However, it proceeded to lose the next three after his setback, which was all the more concerning because Paul George was already out with his own knee injury.
That has largely been the story for the Clippers since they paired Leonard and George ahead of the 2019-20 season. They have struggled to be on the court at the same time in the most important moments, and the franchise has been left short of championship goals as a result.
Perhaps things can change next year if Leonard remains healthier.
